New Cultural Center Opens
The MHA Nation Celebrates the Opening of Interpretive Center
NEW TOWN – The Mandan, Hidatsa and Arikara Nation will be holding a grand opening and ribbon-cutting ceremony for a newly constructed interpretive center on Wednesday, May 19.
The event will take place outdoors at the front entrance of the building from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., with a ribbon-cutting ceremony at 10 a.m. The MHA Nation Interpretive Center is located at 9386 Highway 23, west of New Town.
The event will be open to the public, with tours, live music and limited gift bags. A box lunch will be provided. Facemasks are required indoors and when unable to social distance.
After many years of planning and coordination, the mission of preserving, showcasing, and collecting MHA Nation’s rich history has come to fruition with the completion of the new interpretive center.
“This has been a dream come true for our tribe. We finally have a place where everyone can come together and showcase our history told by us,” said Delphine Baker, MHA Interpretive Center director.
Submitted Photo These photos show the new MHA Nation Interpretive Center, west of New Town. A grand opening and ribbon-cutting ceremony will be held there May 19.
Throughout the process of constructing the interpretive center, there has been collaboration with many Native-owned businesses, visionaries and consultants.
The interpretive center is the first facility of this caliber to be established on the Fort Berthold Reservation and will allow people from all over the world to come and experience the MHA Nation’s rich culture and history with their own eyes.
The building is complete with a coffee shop, gift shop, event center and industrial kitchen. All artifacts, relics and sacred items are protected by an American Association of Museum Standard’s- approved Vortex fire-suppression system designed to protect items from damage.
Additionally, the building undertakes a net zero policy, or green-friendly approach, with an emphasis on maintaining a geothermal heating system, Environmental Protection Agency-approved clear water sewer system, and the development of a solar field system to power the facility is in the near future.
